Pearce fumes as Rovers punish wasteful City

MANCHESTER CITY manager Stuart Pearce conceded his side “shot themselves in the foot” at Ewood Park yesterday.

City were the dominant team in the opening 45 minutes, creating a hatful of chances against a Rovers side clearly suffering a hangover from their UEFA Cup exploits on Thursday.

Yet remarkably City found themselves going into the break at 2-2, and from that moment Rovers boss Mark Hughes was able to reorganise, with his side eventually going on to win their first match of the season.

“It would have been a different story if we had taken those chances in the first half,” remarked Pearce.

“But we gifted Blackburn too many easy goals and you cannot afford to do that at this level. In particular, we shot ourselves in the foot in the second half.”

After City missed four chances in the opening 15 minutes, Rovers took the lead against the run of play when a Morten Gamst Pedersen free-kick was deflected off the head of Trevor Sinclair past City goalkeeper Nicky Weaver.

Further opportunities went begging for the visitors before Joey Barton levelled with his third one-on-one chance with Brad Friedel.

The home side quickly regained the lead as another Pedersen free-kick bounced beyond a deceived Weaver.

Within 70 seconds, however, City were again level when Andre Ooijer directed a Bernardo Corradi cross past Friedel.

Hughes reorganised at the break, making two substitutions which altered the shape and balance of the team, ultimately helping to create second half goals from Benni McCarthy and substitute Paul Gallagher.

“This will obviously help us and settle us down and I hope we can now look forward to another successful season — but that’s based on the second half performance, not the first,” said Hughes.

Opta Fact: Morten Gamst Pedersen’s goal was the 100th in the Premiership this season

Opta Fact: City have won only one of their last 12 local derbies away from home.

BLACKBURN: Friedel, Emerton, Ooijer, Khizanishvili, Neill, Bentley, Savage, Tugay (Mokoena 45), Pedersen, McCarthy (Gallagher 85), Jeffers (Nonda 45).

MANCHESTER CITY: Weaver, Richards, Dunne, Distin, Jordan, Trabelsi (Beasley 35), Barton, Hamann (Ireland 78), Sinclair, Corradi, Dickov (Samaras 62).

Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire).